Traditional drilling and excavation methods utilize drills to form holes in one or more layers of material to be penetrated. Excavation, quarrying, and tunnel boring may also use explosives placed in the holes and detonated to break apart at least a portion of the material. The use of explosives results in additional safety and regulatory burdens which increase operational cost. Typically drilling, blasting, removal of material, and ground support are relatively slow processes. A time ranging from many minutes to many hours to days may typically be required to remove material and extend the depth of a hole by a linear foot, depending on the cross-sectional area of material being moved.